China, Nancy Pelosi, Pittsburgh Steelers: Your Monday Briefing

Image

Chinese aerospace workers wore Long March-style costumes this year. Beijing and Washington have each deployed aggressive rhetoric reminiscent of that heard during the Cold War.CreditCreditBryan Denton for The New York Times

“The entire world is worried”

Those are the words of the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, after a gathering of 21 nations that represent 60 percent of the global economy was consumed by bickering between China and the United States.

The dispute between President Xi Jinping and Vice President Mike Pence prevented agreement on the kind of joint statement that has ended every other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting since 1989. Other nations have grown increasingly exasperated by the fallout from the trade war.

If not Nancy Pelosi, then who?

There’s a simmering rebellion among House Democrats. Some, including several newly elected representatives, would like to block Ms. Pelosi from becoming speaker. There’s one big problem: No serious challenger has emerged.

Ms. Pelosi held the leadership position for 15 years, and her power has been solidified by her reputation as a legislator and fund-raiser. Only 17 Democrats have signed a letter that was meant to demonstrate that she does not have the votes to become speaker.

Image

Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, has argued that the party will be thrown into paralysis if her adversaries prevent her from becoming speaker.CreditErin Schaff for The New York Times

Mr. Trump said he would wait for a report produced by his administration before making any decisions on how to act. But he wondered in an interview with Fox News: “Will anybody really know?”

• What does it mean? Mr. Trump’s reluctance to acknowledge the mountain of evidence reflects the importance of Prince Mohammed to the administration’s policies in the Middle East, and of its crucial role as a buyer of American weapons.

Living with lead hazards in New York

After lead paint was banned in the city in 1960, cases of lead poisoning plummeted. So the New York City Housing Authority stopped looking for it.

But cases of lead exposure still exist. A Times investigation found that almost every time a child in the authority’s apartments tested positive for high lead levels, the authority disputed the findings rather than removing or covering the lead. Private landlords almost never do this.

Saheed Morrison, 11, near a wall where lead was detected in his home in Brooklyn. The New York City Housing Authority challenged the test results.CreditKholood Eid for The New York Times

“Hell on Earth” in California

The Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive blaze in California’s history, began in a secluded area by a river, early on Nov 8. Within hours, it was consuming the equivalent of a football field every second. We reconstructed what happened that day.

Firefighters are still working to contain blazes that have already killed 80 people, with 1,300 still missing. Many of those who escaped are living in makeshift camps outside the scorch zones, including one in a Walmart parking lot.

Fact check: President Trump said California could learn from Finland on preparing for wildfires. Is he right?

They also admitted to lip-syncing at their many shows, and blamed their producer for putting them up to it.

The scandal cost them the 1989 Grammy for Best New Artist — and their careers.

Since then, Milli Vanilli has become pop culture shorthand for fraud. Last month, Nicki Minaj referred to the group in a thinly veiled shot at Cardi B, her rival.

But the discussion around authenticity has shifted as well. Cardi B and Kanye West openly acknowledge receiving help with their lyrics, while Mariah Carey and Garth Brooks have survived high-profile lip-sync blunders.